CBS cleans house, axes 7 shows to make room for fall newcomers

New York  CBS may be the most popular television network but that didn’t stop its executives from shaking things up for the fall by axing seven series and moving four established shows to new nights.

The network also said Wednesday it is adding five new shows for the fall, including a Tom Selleck drama, a William Shatner comedy and a remake of “Hawaii Five-O.”

CBS is coming off another year atop the ratings, establishing new hits like “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Good Wife” and “Undercover Boss.” It has far more scripted shows in the upper reaches of the ratings than its rivals, yet deals with a perennial hipness deficiency due to an older-skewing audience.

The network will make its fans double-check schedules for their favorites in September. “The Big Bang Theory,” its hottest comedy, switches from Monday to Thursday. “Survivor” moves from Thursday to Wednesday. “CSI: Miami” moves from Monday to Sunday, and “CSI: NY” moves from Wednesday to Friday. “Medium” stays on Friday, but moves up an hour to 8 p.m.

Chief CBS scheduler Kelly Kahl said it was a schedule of “aggressive stability.”

Clearing the way for the new entries, CBS canceled “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Cold Case,” “Miami Medical,” “Numb3rs,” “Gary Unmarried” and “Accidentally on Purpose.”

“We kind of call it the network circle of life,” Kahl said. “We have some new ones. The old ones say goodbye. It’s hard.”